Okay. So when I went to my old gym, the trainers were also salesmen, and they had a whole line of products they wanted to get us to buy.

So. After my first month of weightloss it turned out I had lost 10 pounds, and I was excited, until they did the little body fat 'machine/tool/whatever where you hold it and it tells you either the percentage or amount of fat in pounds you have on your body, i don't remember. I'm pretty sure it was by pounds.

It turns out only 5 pounds was fat :c and I wanted to cry. Because he said the rest was muscle and I was going to be skinny-fat.

My trainer said if I drank a protein shake after my workout that would have been probably closer to 7/8 pounds of fat.

anyway what i want to know is if that's true or if they were just selling something?
I want to lose this weight the healthy way, yknow? And that scared me to death.
Any input would be wonderful!
And if you do think the protein shakes or whatever, what do you use?

BS. They're just trying to sell their product.

Weight train if you want to retain your muscle mass.

Sounds like they are trying to sell something.. but protein does help with repairing,retaining AND building muscle.

I would just go to the store and compare protein drinks.. get one that fits into your diet.

Chocolate ALWAYS tastes best to me. Powdered is cheaper but I think the ready made ones taste A LOT better.


I'm sure you lost a lot of water weight as well.

Totally trying to sell you something. It really shows his character too.

He's trying to sell his product. That being said, I use this product daily. Read list of ingredients in this. Very healthy, in my opinion...taste good.
http://www.iherb.com/Nature-s-Plus-E...lbs-756-g/7522

P.S. When you add the product to cart the price comes down.

Oh brother. Gotta love chain gym trainers... they're literally the bottom of the barrel more often than not.

Genetics are going to dictate muscle loss/maintenance while dieting a whole lot. But there are two major variables that are in our control that help preserve muscle. As noted above, they're progressive resistance training and adequate protein consumption.

The thing with the protein consumption part is this... it's the total daily intake that matters far far more than the timing of the intake. And you certainly don't *need* to drink a protein shake. They can be great sources of protein for people who have trouble hitting their protein targets... but if that happens to be you... merely out of principle... I wouldn't buy it from them.

:'c Jeez!
That guy is a jerk. Thanks for all of your replies. I quit that gym after the trainers tried to sell me a 200 dollar meal plan, and wouldn't leave me the heck alone. I'm a mom, I wanna spend my 200 dollars on my kid!
Anyway.
Thank you guys SO much.

I usually meet my protein req. for the day, he just made it sound like if I didn't get a huge amount within 90 minutes, I would lose 0 fat and 100% muscle. Which made very little sense to me, but scared me cuz I was working my butt off!

Anyway thanks again for your replies<3
I'm finally at ease :P

im late to the party, BUT....
Ok, assuming the measuring device was absolutely accurate (which they arent) and given that it was your first month of weight loss, then YES, you may have lost only 5 pounds of fat, however,the other 5 pounds lost was NOT MUSCLE. That is a lie. You CANNOT atrophy your muscles that quickly..... the other 5 pounds were merely WATER weight coming off, as you entered into a new caloric deficit for your body... water loss and the glycogen storage assoiated with that as you depleted what you had stored (cuz you were using them, and not replacing them~ the deficit)
LIke on the Biggest loser? The first week or 2--> BIG LOSSES?? 90% of it is water weight loss. But 5 actual pounds of fat in a month is fantastic, plus those 5 pounds of water DO make you smaller? KWM? Water has volume, and inches, etc..... You didnt lose any muscle mass sweetie, so dont freak out

That said, an after workout protein drink is a great idea, especially following weightlifting, or if you need to supplement your protein intake. Whein a caloric deficit (losing fat) it IS a good idea to eat more protein than you might during maintenance..... Im not saying you have to do a high protein/low carb approach, but highER protein will help to preserve muscle mass. Overtime, during your journey, you can/might lose SOME muscle... but not 5 pounds of it, and in ONE MONTH?
Get a protein supplement that fits within your dietary needs....a 100% whey isolate or something similar, that wont have all the extra fat and carbs, if that is something you are tracking and trying to limit.
A Whey protein isolate will digest and be absorbed/utilized very quickly in your body (hence, it makes a great post-workout supplement) and a Casein protein will digest and be absorbed slowly, which keeps you feeling *full* longer. MOST people supplement with whey dominant proteins.


Bottome line... youre doing great, dont buy anythgin from them, and keep up the good work!

:'D Thank you!
Five pounds of muscle did seem kind of ridiculous but when I tried to say "What about water-weight?" He said "SHH, honey i have a masters degree"

Anyway, thanks again. Your post made me smile.

Yeah, there is no no NO way you can atrophy 5 lbs of muscle in a week unless you were literally bedbound and didn't move.

It's important to make sure you get enough protein, but his approach is OTT. Don't be scared! I used to drink whey protein but I ran out and have just been making sure I have adequate amounts in my diet. I've noticed no different, whatsoever in my workouts or my progress.

There are studies that suggest that milk works pretty well as a post workout drink. Cheaper too.

My post workout drink is chocolate milk.